Feb. 25, 2006

Box Score

DELAND, FLA - The Marist softball squad opened day two of the Stetson Tournament with a 2-1 victory over Winthrop (5-9). Megan Rigos (Lebanon, Pa.) went the distance for Marist, who picked up its first win of the young season. In game two Central Florida's Kacie Feaster drove in all three of the Golden Knight's runs as she went 2-for-3 with a double and a homerun in the 3-1 win. Jessica Green (Manassas, Va.) made her first career start for Marist, as she worked five innings picking up four strikeouts.

Trailing 1-0 to Winthrop in the third inning, the Red Foxes were finally able to put multiple runners on base. Chrystine McHugh (Port Ewen, N.Y.) led off the inning with a walk. She advanced to third on a single by Green to give the Foxes runners on the corners with one out. The Red Foxes pushed their first run of the season across when Bridget Hurlman (Yonkers, N.Y.) and Annie Castellano (Happauge, N.Y.) drew back to back walks. Marist would take a 2-1 lead when Katie Eskin (Edison, N.J.) singled to left, driving in Green from third. Those two runs would be all that Rigos would need, as she evened her record at 1-1.

After giving up a first inning run, Rigos settled in and did not allow much the rest of the game. Withrop had runners on second and third with two outs in the second but Rigos forced a line out to third to end the threat.

Rigos pitched her second complete game of the season. She recorded five strikeouts on the day, while walking one and allowing one earned run. On the season Rigos has 15 strikeouts and allowed just one earned run in 15 innings of work.

With the win, Marist improved to 1-2 on the year heading into the night cap on Saturday against Central Florida.

The Foxes again fell behind early, as the Golden Knights plated a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Kacie Feaster. Green, making her first start of the season, stranded Fester to thwart the UCF rally.

Marist knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth when Castellano doubled to deep center, driving in Laurissa Riley.

Green was able to pitch out of a jam in the home half of the fourth, as she wiggled out of a first and third, one-out situation. She struck out pinch hitter Laura Daly looking and then forced a ground out to end the threat and keep the score ties at one.

The score remained scoreless until the sixth, but Marist had a chance to push the go ahead run ahead in the fifth, but stranded Pamela de la Llave (West Orange, N.J.) at third. De la Llave reached on a two-out bunt single, before advancing to second on a wild pitch and stealing third. UCF starter Ashley Baker got McHugh to pop up to shortstop to end the inning.

Leaving the run at third would prove costly, as UCF would put together a two out rally over there own that would ultimately give them the 3-1 lead. A one out walk to CiCi Alvarez and a sacrifice bunt by Ashley Baker, set the stage for Feaster to do more damage for the Golden Knights. Feaster who drove in the Knights' first run with her double, drove a 2-2 pitch from Green over the center field wall for a two-run homerun.

Marist fell to 1-3 on the season and will wrap up their stay in Florida with their final game of the tournament on Sunday morning against Western Michigan. The game is scheduled for 9 a.m.

Rain is in the forecast in the DeLand area on Sunday; check back to go redfoxes.com for possible schedule changes.